Fast Coupes Of The Eighties And Nineties
Discussion
Turbobanana said:
williamp said:
Audi TT also makes the cut-just- so can be included. Ford Capri and TT. Both fashion icons. Can't imagine anything more different!
Arguably you could say the MGB GT and Audi TT bookend the decade.
, and now too late to edit in the conventional way 
s m said:
I guess a lot of people have forgotten/never knew about the Cougar
I had a V6 Cougar in the late 90's. It was a good looking car, imho, different to a lot of the competition. A bit "Banglesque" with it's slashed sides and front.
Interior was a nice place to be and it handled really well. I had wanted a Fiat Coupe but it was too small for all my climbing and biking gear.
The engine however, was a lazy lump. Not that fast and always seemed a bit "detuned".
Lee Noble had other ideas......
rallycross said:
s m said:
These were super rare I tried to buy on in the 90’s but was too rotten .Ah the late 80s, early 90s were the original coupe salad days...
After a brief hot hatch fling I moved onto a white Honda CRX 1.6 16v:
A lovely little thing, chuckable handling with the sweetest 16v engine and gearchange, and hilarious rear bench seat. The things that car could tell... The desire for more performance led to a black Toyota Supra Turbo (A70):
Bought just before a sweltering summer, my first car with aircon, my first car with pop-up headlamps, and really shifted in comparison with the CRX. I also discovered power oversteer. All of it. Electric reclining seats and spacious footwells. The things that car could tell... Lots of toys for its time - electric everything including the aerial. It even had cruise control - handy when doing 20mpg on the motorway... So, when that turned out to be too expensive to run (and following a trip to the south of France in an MX5. The things that car could tell. Well it couldn't really it was too small, but the tent that was in the boot of that car that went to the south of France, the things that could tell...) a red Mk1 MR2 turned my head:
My introduction to mid-engines and a revelation in handling after the Supra. Nimble, light, quick gearchange and a zingy twin cam engine. More pop-up headlights! No aircon but it had a pop out sunroof FTW. The things that car could tell - even with that handbrake/gearlever... I am really not sure why I got rid other than I thought I needed something a bit more grown-up, a bit more sharp suited, something that said something about Me. Sadly what it said was 80s estate agent. Yes, a E30 BMW and the final 'coupe' (and stretching it a bit) of that time a red 2dr 318is like this:
Which turned out to be a dog which is why I have no pictures. Looked great, but not a brilliant drive and proved unreliable. The things I could tell you about that car...
After that experience coupe ownership went a little fallow as I put away my toys and tried being more sensible with hot hatches/fast saloons (we won't talk about the diesels, you don't get lucky in a diesel), that is until I reverted to type and went coupes again in the last decade...
After a brief hot hatch fling I moved onto a white Honda CRX 1.6 16v:
A lovely little thing, chuckable handling with the sweetest 16v engine and gearchange, and hilarious rear bench seat. The things that car could tell... The desire for more performance led to a black Toyota Supra Turbo (A70):
Bought just before a sweltering summer, my first car with aircon, my first car with pop-up headlamps, and really shifted in comparison with the CRX. I also discovered power oversteer. All of it. Electric reclining seats and spacious footwells. The things that car could tell... Lots of toys for its time - electric everything including the aerial. It even had cruise control - handy when doing 20mpg on the motorway... So, when that turned out to be too expensive to run (and following a trip to the south of France in an MX5. The things that car could tell. Well it couldn't really it was too small, but the tent that was in the boot of that car that went to the south of France, the things that could tell...) a red Mk1 MR2 turned my head:
My introduction to mid-engines and a revelation in handling after the Supra. Nimble, light, quick gearchange and a zingy twin cam engine. More pop-up headlights! No aircon but it had a pop out sunroof FTW. The things that car could tell - even with that handbrake/gearlever... I am really not sure why I got rid other than I thought I needed something a bit more grown-up, a bit more sharp suited, something that said something about Me. Sadly what it said was 80s estate agent. Yes, a E30 BMW and the final 'coupe' (and stretching it a bit) of that time a red 2dr 318is like this:
Which turned out to be a dog which is why I have no pictures. Looked great, but not a brilliant drive and proved unreliable. The things I could tell you about that car...
After that experience coupe ownership went a little fallow as I put away my toys and tried being more sensible with hot hatches/fast saloons (we won't talk about the diesels, you don't get lucky in a diesel), that is until I reverted to type and went coupes again in the last decade...
For my third car back in the late 1990s, I decided I wanted a funky coupe and worked through the following test drives. Oddly, despite owning two Vauxhalls previously, the Calibra just didn't appeal for some reason.
- Toyota MR2 (mk2): great to drive but just a bit too cosy inside and the black interior was a bit depressing.
- Honda Prelude VTEC (4th gen): Hilariously fast over 5500 rpm but actually quite slow and dull below it and I decided I didn't really want to drive everywhere like my arse was on fire.
- Toyota Celica (6th gen): Not very fast and didn't appear to actually have any suspension.
- BMW 3 Series coupe: very nice but I couldn't afford one with a decent engine size.
- Rover 220 Coupe Turbo: I loved everything about this and had a hoot of a test drive up and down the A3057 in Hampshire with my girlfriend shouting at me to slow down! She then enquired as to whether I was comfortable as the seat didn't really appear to go back far enough for 6'3" me. I reluctantly had to admit she was right. Damn these observant women...
I then spotted a Cavalier Turbo 4x4 for sale and decided to go and view this instead. However, when i arrived, sitting beside it on the dealer's forecourt was something I instantly fell in love with. It had been high on my 'want' list, but I didn't think I could afford one. However, it was the same price as the Cavalier and was a bright red Mazda MX-6.
Well, I ignored the Cavalier, test drove the MX-6 and absolutely fell in love with it, so a deal was struck. I adored that car and had eight months of pure happiness behind its wheel. Sadly, it soon became apparent that I had overstretched myself financially to buy it and then the aforementioned girlfriend said yes to a very important question, so it had to go to help pay for our wedding.
I still miss it and would love another one - sadly they seem to be both rare and unloved so nice ones are rarely seen.
As an aside I only have one other regret from this tale - even though I didn't buy the Cavalier Turbo, I wish I'd at least test driven it as well!
- Toyota MR2 (mk2): great to drive but just a bit too cosy inside and the black interior was a bit depressing.
- Honda Prelude VTEC (4th gen): Hilariously fast over 5500 rpm but actually quite slow and dull below it and I decided I didn't really want to drive everywhere like my arse was on fire.
- Toyota Celica (6th gen): Not very fast and didn't appear to actually have any suspension.
- BMW 3 Series coupe: very nice but I couldn't afford one with a decent engine size.
- Rover 220 Coupe Turbo: I loved everything about this and had a hoot of a test drive up and down the A3057 in Hampshire with my girlfriend shouting at me to slow down! She then enquired as to whether I was comfortable as the seat didn't really appear to go back far enough for 6'3" me. I reluctantly had to admit she was right. Damn these observant women...
I then spotted a Cavalier Turbo 4x4 for sale and decided to go and view this instead. However, when i arrived, sitting beside it on the dealer's forecourt was something I instantly fell in love with. It had been high on my 'want' list, but I didn't think I could afford one. However, it was the same price as the Cavalier and was a bright red Mazda MX-6.
Well, I ignored the Cavalier, test drove the MX-6 and absolutely fell in love with it, so a deal was struck. I adored that car and had eight months of pure happiness behind its wheel. Sadly, it soon became apparent that I had overstretched myself financially to buy it and then the aforementioned girlfriend said yes to a very important question, so it had to go to help pay for our wedding.
I still miss it and would love another one - sadly they seem to be both rare and unloved so nice ones are rarely seen.
As an aside I only have one other regret from this tale - even though I didn't buy the Cavalier Turbo, I wish I'd at least test driven it as well!
Any experience of, or love for, the Isuzu Piazza?
I believe it has a bit of a following nowadays, but was always an unusual choice. I thought they looked glorious (at the time), but the driving experience was certainly nothing special (although the turbo may have been better).
Used to love coupes (I thought "moredoors" were for old men!), drove, owned or walked away from many a Fuego Turbo, Scirocco Storm, Rover Tomcat, Alfa Sud Sprint, Fiat Coupe, Datsun 180BSSS, Nissan Sylvia etc. Always wanted a 406 or, better still, a 504... and in a more sane moment, walked away from a Bertone Volvo 262, that I sometimes wished I hadn't.
And the one I have come so close to buying on many an occasion, and maybe will one day... the Hyundai Stellar Coupe... as my mate always insultingly called them...
I still rarely buy cars with more than two doors and two and a bit seats - if someone wishes to spend time with us at a local pub, they can either join us there or... cut off their legs below the knee...
I believe it has a bit of a following nowadays, but was always an unusual choice. I thought they looked glorious (at the time), but the driving experience was certainly nothing special (although the turbo may have been better).
Used to love coupes (I thought "moredoors" were for old men!), drove, owned or walked away from many a Fuego Turbo, Scirocco Storm, Rover Tomcat, Alfa Sud Sprint, Fiat Coupe, Datsun 180BSSS, Nissan Sylvia etc. Always wanted a 406 or, better still, a 504... and in a more sane moment, walked away from a Bertone Volvo 262, that I sometimes wished I hadn't.
And the one I have come so close to buying on many an occasion, and maybe will one day... the Hyundai Stellar Coupe... as my mate always insultingly called them...
I still rarely buy cars with more than two doors and two and a bit seats - if someone wishes to spend time with us at a local pub, they can either join us there or... cut off their legs below the knee...
StescoG66 said:
s m said:
Loved these in my teens and would love to try one nowOm said:
The desire for more performance led to a black Toyota Supra Turbo (A70):
Bought just before a sweltering summer, my first car with aircon, my first car with pop-up headlamps, and really shifted in comparison with the CRX. I also discovered power oversteer. All of it. Electric reclining seats and spacious footwells. The things that car could tell... Lots of toys for its time - electric everything including the aerial. It even had cruise control - handy when doing 20mpg on the motorway...
My friend’s dad had one of these in 1990, his other car was a SAAB 900T16. One day me and my mate hit on the idea of taking the two cars for a spin around Chew Valley Lake - roads we both knew v well. It was fun, and definitely fast, esp across the south end of the lake where slowing for the sharp left hander at the end reminded us of our mortality!Bought just before a sweltering summer, my first car with aircon, my first car with pop-up headlamps, and really shifted in comparison with the CRX. I also discovered power oversteer. All of it. Electric reclining seats and spacious footwells. The things that car could tell... Lots of toys for its time - electric everything including the aerial. It even had cruise control - handy when doing 20mpg on the motorway...
We didn’t do it again - I think we probably did actually scare ourselves a little bit
Sticks. said:
AMGSee55 said:
I saw one at a car meet a couple of years ago and yes, it still had style, presence. The BMW 8 series similarly so. 
although I sometimes look at those earlier models of those, they are lower and more classic ofcourse and? maybe lovely for some sort of restomod use, although in NL they also had a racer with plate for the road for sale, not cheap but looked very nice and they got a pretty horse power out the renault engine, at some cost I guess ah this one, 280hp from that 2.7
I believe its completely restored, looks good.
more>
https://www.autowereld.nl/renault/alpine/2-7-v6-a-...
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